HDFC Bank shares drop 2% as CEO transition uncertainty weighs on stock

Shares of India’s largest private lender HDFC Bank fell as much as 2% to a day’s low of Rs 700 on the BSE on Wednesday, with the stock remaining volatile as investors assess the lender’s ongoing search for a new CEO after Sashidhar Jagdishan said he would not seek an extension beyond his current term, which ends on October 26.

The stock hit a new 52-week low of Rs 698.50 in the previous session. So far this year, HDFC Bank shares are down nearly 30%.

The stock continues to form a lower-top and lower-bottom structure on the daily timeframe and is currently trading near its nine month low, indicating sustained selling pressure. The ongoing price structure remains weak, with the stock struggling to regain higher levels and showing limited signs of reversal, says Sudeep Shah, Vice President and Head of Technical and Derivatives Research at SBI Securities.

The stock is trading below its 20-day, 50-day and 200-day EMAs, reinforcing the prevailing bearish trend. The RSI is hovering in the 30–40 zone, highlighting continued weakness, while the MACD is trading below the zero line, indicating a bearish momentum setup. Overall, the technical structure remains weak, with a sustained move above key resistance levels required to signal a meaningful trend reversal.

A sustained move above Rs 750 could trigger a short-term bounce towards 780 levels. However, the broader structure is likely to remain weak as long as the stock trades below 780. On the downside, a breach below the recent low could revive fresh selling pressure in the stock.

Virat Jagad, Senior Technical Research Analyst at Bonanza, says HDFC Bank stock remains in a downtrend and below major EMAs, indicating continued weakness. Major support is Rs 710, but a decisive breakdown below Rs 710 can be used to exit, with downside potential towards Rs 680–660 in the coming days.

Jefferies sees Kaizad Bharucha, HDFC Bank's Deputy Managing Director who leads corporate, business banking and retail assets, among others, as a key internal candidate for the CEO role.

The brokerage said Bharucha could be a simpler choice, with a potential tenure of 2.8-3 years, given that he was appointed Executive Director in June 2014. It believes one option for the bank could be to allow Bharucha to lead HDFC Bank while preparing for a smoother transition over the longer term.

Jefferies identified Anup Bagchi, currently CEO of ICICI Prudential Life and formerly an Executive Director at ICICI Bank overseeing retail banking; Paresh Sukthankar, former DMD at HDFC Bank who left in 2018; Vibha Padalkar, CEO of HDFC Life; Rajiv Sabharwal, CEO of Tata Capital; and Amitabh Chaudhry, CEO of Axis Bank, as potential external candidates.